Monthly Summaries

Many across NJ wondered if the incessant back and forth of weather conditions from early spring into May would ever cease and the more consistent warmth of late spring would arrive and persist. It took time this year, with a cool, damp start to May that included a nine-day interval of almost continuous onshore easterly flow. Come mid-month the seasonal transition was finally complete, and daytime highs mostly remained above 70° away from the coast and higher elevations. This included two episodes where temperatures exceeded 90°. Whether it was cool or warm, rainfall was rather plentiful through most of the month. Seven events produced an inch or more at multiple locations, two of which found some spots exceeding 3.00”.

The statewide average temperature was 63.3°. This is 2.1° over the 1991–2020 normal and ties as the 14th mildest May since 1895. The average maximum of 73.6° was 1.3° above normal and ranked 35th mildest while the average minimum of 53.0° was 2.8° above normal, ranking 7th mildest. Regionally, the north division came in at 62.0° (+2.1°, 15th mildest), the south 64.3° (+2.1°, tied with two others at 13th), and coast 62.4° (+1.4°, tied with one other at 20th).

Rainfall averaged 5.37” across NJ. This is 1.62” above normal and ranks as the 23rd wettest May of the past 128 years. Even with the Highlands being somewhat dry, the north was wettest at 5.98” (+1.96”, 18th wettest). The south averaged 5.03” (+1.43”, 25th), despite the far south being on the dry side. The coast came in with 4.77” (+1.26”, 26th).

When it comes to shedding the winter coat and thinking of warm weather to come, March is known to have its early spring teases. Then, along comes some late winter cold to remind us winter is not quite ready to disappear. This spring foolery was on exceptional display this month. High temperatures jumped into the 70°s on the 6th and 7th, then back to the cold until the 70° mark was again eclipsed during four of the five days from the 15th–19th. Next came some more seasonable temperatures before a polar blast brought mid-winter frigid conditions from the 28th–30th, only to be followed by another day of 70°s to end the month. Interspersed with these wild fluctuations were episodes of thunderstorms, snow and rain, and 13 days where winds gusted to greater than 40 mph at some locations.

When all was said and done, the statewide average temperature of 43.6° was 2.6° above the 1991–2020 normal. This ranked as the 16th mildest March since 1895, with the end-of-month cold spell keeping the month out of the top 10 for warmth. The average maximum of 54.0° was 3.1° above normal, ranking 17th mildest. The average minimum of 33.3° was 2.1° above normal, also ranking 17th. The north averaged 41.1° (+2.3°, 21st warmest), south 45.3° (+2.9°, 15th), and coast 44.9° (+2.7°, 13th).

Precipitation averaged 2.72” across NJ, which was 1.48” below normal and ranks as the 26th driest March since 1895. The north caught 2.54” (-1.47”, 26th driest), south 2.80” (-1.52”, 30th), and coast 3.06” (-1.36”, 34th). In particular, a zone from Hunterdon to Bergen counties was driest and the coast from Atlantic to Monmouth counties was wettest.

When it comes to cold and snow, the second month of winter wasn’t anything like the first. New Jersey was right in the heart of winter to start off 2022, and nowhere was that more apparent than in southern coastal counties where far more than an average winter’s snow fell. At some locations, the total exceeded that of the most recent three winters combined. The prevailing storm track was such that the northwest corner of the state received the least snow, yet saw seven days with low temperatures dipping below zero. Toss in 15 days where one or more locations around the state recorded wind gusts of 40 mph or greater (five of these with gusts of at least 50 mph) and two atmospheric pressure waves moving across the state as a result of a volcanic eruption in the south Pacific, and it certainly was an eventful month.

Rain and melted snow averaged 3.45” across the state. This is 0.04” below the 1991–2020 normal and ranks as the 54th wettest (75th driest) January since 1895. The northern counties south to and including Hunterdon, Somerset, and Union averaged 2.90”, 0.60” below normal and 75th wettest (53rd driest). Southern counties, except close to the Atlantic Coast, averaged 3.72”, which is 0.25” above normal and ranks 46th wettest. The coastal region caught 4.34”, which is 0.83” above normal and ranks 31st wettest. Persistent dry conditions in recent months resulted in the southernmost NJ counties deemed “Abnormally Dry” for most of the month, according to the National Drought Monitor. As the month ended, northwestern counties were under consideration for being similarly designated.

November was the first month since May 2020 with both averages of precipitation and temperature below 1991–2020 normals. The last drier-than-normal month was this past June while the last cooler-than-normal month was this past May. However, it’s been a while, 19 months, since the two anomalies teamed up. And dry it was, with the statewide average of 1.06” running 2.29” below normal. This ranks as the 7th driest November since records commenced in 1895. Only two other Novembers since 1936 fall in the top 10.

The statewide average November temperature of 43.9° was 1.2° below the 1991–2020 normal and ranked as the 73rd coolest of the past 127 years. This was 17.2° cooler than the mild average of this past October. The normal difference between the months is 10.2°. The average maximum was 54.5° (-0.2°, 84th coolest) and the average minimum was 33.2° (-2.3°, 47th coolest). The north averaged 41.9° (-1.2°, 74th coolest), the south 44.9° (-1.4°, 68th coolest), and the coast 46.0° (-1.3°, 70th coolest). The first Rutgers NJWxNet or NWS Cooperative station to reach the freezing point this season was Pequest (Warren County), late on the 2nd. This was the latest first freeze in NJ since at least 1900 (based on Coop records). The last location to reach freezing was West Cape May (Cape May) on the 28th, on the late side but not unusually so.

Post-tropical storm Ida. The title of this month’s report speaks to this momentous weather extreme that will forever be the defining event of this month and likely the entire year. The storm delivered the most powerful tornado to strike the Garden State since 1990, demolishing multiple homes in Gloucester County. Rainfall exceeding 3.00” per hour led to the most widespread flash flood event on record for the state, resulting in the tragic deaths of 30 individuals in central and northeastern locales. A separate report on Ida has been prepared and may be accessed in the "News" menu.

There were 29 other days of weather this month that fortunately were not as dramatic as Ida on the 1st. All told, monthly precipitation averaged 6.20” across NJ. This was 2.04” above the 1991–2020 normal and ranks as the 15th wettest September since 1895. The north, where the bulk of Ida’s rain fell, averaged 8.92”, which was 4.46” above normal and ranks 7th wettest. The south averaged 4.61”, which was 0.62” above normal and ties as the 31st wettest. Along the coast, only 3.81” fell, some 0.08” below normal and ranking 44th wettest.